Exploring the joy and power in “No”
As it stands, I’m just over a week into my social media sabbatical and I already can’t believe how much space and time and mental energy has been freed up (just last week I read four books!), allowing me to follow the thread of what my heart has been yearning for, calls I had previously been too busy or too distracted to hear. I can’t wait to share more from this place when it feels right.
As I continue along with my work semi-sabbatical, I’m also discovering and exploring the power of no. Saying no may seem like it runs counter intuitive to my slight obsession with productivity, but I’m realizing that they are both in service of my desire to just do less.
In his newsletter, James Altucher reveals how he decides to say yes or no to opportunities. Here’s what he wrote:
“Two out of these three have to trigger for me to say YES:
KNOWLEDGE: Will I learn something?
FUN: Is it fun?
MONEY: Is it financially worthwhile?”
As a result of this exercise – and thanks to my semi-sabbatical – I am finding myself answering no far more often than yes, and, like James Altucher, I’m still in the process of figuring out (or daydreaming about) what to say yes to!
In my deep dive into the topic of saying no, I also came across this Forge piece that says, “Saying no to something now will allow you to say yes to something else later,” before laying out a five step road map for saying no. I especially identify with number two.
You can rest assured that I’ll keep you posted on my findings as I deepen my commitment to myself and my time.
Dawned on me/you/us
As a verb, dawn can mean "become clear" or “enter one's consciousness or emotions.” It’s in this spirit that I share with you some of the things that help me get clear in various ways. May it be the same for you, too.
Read.
Addressing Anti-Asian Racism: A Resource for Educators
Put together by the Toronto District School Board, this resource provides a foundation for reflection, discussion and social justice action. It was created by a team of educators of Asian descent whose lived experiences, both personal and professional, knowledge and passion for social justice are reflected in its pages.
Listen.
Intentionally Boring Bedtime Stories
Insomnia? Mind racing at night? Worries keeping you up? Tune in for a bedtime story that lets you forget your problems and progressively gets more boring until you fall to sleep. So get in bed, press play, close your eyes, and drift off into dreamland.
Watch.
Timelapse of the Future: A Journey to the End of Time
This experience takes us on a journey to the end of time, trillions of years into the future, to discover what the fate of our planet and our universe may ultimately be. We start in 2019 and travel exponentially through time, witnessing the future of Earth, the death of the sun, the end of all stars, proton decay, zombie galaxies, possible future civilizations, exploding black holes, the effects of dark energy, alternate universes, the final fate of the cosmos - to name a few. This is a picture of the future as painted by modern science.
Do.
Three Breaks To Take Today
Every day, take a social break, a physical break, and a spiritual break.
